


Original

by between



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: And Loving Parents, Christmas Fluff, Coming Out, Dani Has Good Siblings, Gen, Name Change, One Shot, Sibling Bonding, The Fentons Adopt Dani, Trans Danny, Trans Male Character, christmas truce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22485394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/between/pseuds/between
Summary: “So, what’s up? Anything I can help with? Or are you just here for some quality sibling time?”Her fingers played with an annoying fold on the sheets and her voice was strained when she spoke up, “I kind of need to talk to you.”Despite having expected something to be up by now, he felt his expression shift into one of surprise, though he fought to keep it as friendly as possible. They may be inseparable already and he knew his sister trusted him as he trusted her, but this new family dynamic was still relatively foreign to all of them. Considering their youngest addition’s backstory, Danny wanted there to be no hints of hostility at all. “Alright, what do you want to talk about?”(Sometimes, change is good, even if it seems scary at first.)
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Danielle "Dani" Phantom
Comments: 13
Kudos: 213





	Original

**Author's Note:**

> A one-shot that I wrote for @shelbychild on tumblr for the 2019 Christmas Truce (Secret Santa). It feels a little off, but I suppose that's fine.

If he was honest, Danny hadn‘t actually been paying all that much attention to his homework in the first place, and the knock on the door was a welcome nudge back into the real world. He answered the timid call of his younger sister with a “Sure, come in,“ throwing his phone onto the desk next to him a little too carelessly. (Tucker would have cringed painfully, had he seen it.) Once the girl had stepped into the room, she awkwardly closed the door on the third try, muttering sheepishly, “I don‘t think I‘ll ever get the hang of your door.”

Danny grimaced, mind flashing back to the week prior and remembering a particularly uncomfortable encounter between his shoulder blade and the door handle. “Eh, don’t worry about it. I’ve been having trouble closing it, too. Crashed into it last week...”

His sister had the decency to half-swallow her laughter and Danny couldn’t bring himself to mind. “Someone throw you or did you just go too fast again and forgot to slow down in time?” It was only then he noticed that she had been avoiding eye contact from the moment she’d entered. Also, she was obviously stalling by asking him about the door incident. (He may have been telling this to himself as an excuse not to dwell on it. It had been quite embarrassing.)

Therefore, he decided to ignore the question. Shifting in his seat he tried to do what Jazz would have suggested and sat in what he deemed a casual and inviting position. “So, what’s up? Anything I can help with? Or are you just here for some quality sibling time?” he grinned at her and was pleased to receive a smile in return though his sister still wasn’t looking straight at him.

She shuffled across the room, ending up slightly perched on the edge of his bed. It struck him as odd how tense and careful she was behaving, when usually she’d barge in and claim whatever space as her own, whether that be sprawled on the bed, floor or him. Her fingers played with an annoying fold on the sheets and her voice was strained when she spoke up, “I kind of need to talk to you.”

Despite having expected something to be up by now, he felt his expression shift into one of surprise, though he fought to keep it as friendly as possible. They may be inseparable already and he knew his sister trusted him as he trusted her, but this new family dynamic was still relatively foreign to all of them. Considering their youngest addition’s backstory, Danny wanted there to be no hints of hostility at all. “Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

Danny watched his sister visibly steel herself, taking a deep, grounding breath before daring to speak. He was having a difficult time trying to recall a moment he had ever seen her this nervous to talk to him, aside from when she’d been unsure if he’d rather they call each other cousins still or if he’d be willing to call her his sister. (Actually, he thought that might have been mild in comparison, still.) “Um,” He waited patiently, gave her time to bring an order into the stammering thoughts she was fighting to fit into a phrase. “So, uh, I have been thinking, and I didn’t know how to tell you, ‘cause I don’t want to, um, hurt your feelings, I guess,” She cut off, pulling a face, as though she had been rehearsing this and was only just realizing that it sounded strange. “It’s nothing against you, I mean- ugh…”

“Hey, it’s alright, take your time.” Danny slowly got up from his desk chair, deliberately taking long enough to give her the chance to give any signs that she didn’t want him to come closer. When none showed up, Danny let himself sink into the mattress right next to her, nudging her arm and smiling reassuringly. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I love you, there’s nothing you could say to change that, okay?” (If he was sounding like his mom, he didn’t mind it all that much if it meant his sister was feeling comfortable.)

She nodded and he felt her relax against him, if only by a fraction. “Sorry, I don’t know why this makes me so nervous. It’s not that I think you’d be mad or anything.” As she glanced at him sideways, he realized that she was finally seeking eye contact and felt relieved. “It’s just-” She sighed, shoulders hunching the slightest bit. “I don’t think I want to be called ‘Dani’ anymore,” she muttered, finally expressing what had been on her mind. “It just makes me feel like… a copy I guess. A bad copy? I know, I know, I’m not just a copy of you, but either way it just never felt like I had my own name, that was mine and that fit me, you know? I- Yeah.”

It took a short moment to sink in, but once he’d registered what his sister had said, he immediately wrapped his arms around her in a light hug, smiling. “See, nothing at all to worry about,” he said, meeting her surprised gaze. “There’s nothing wrong at all about changing your name. Thank you for telling me though, I’ll make sure to do my best so you feel comfortable, okay?”

His sister blinked at him, confused, but obviously relieved by his reaction. “You don’t think it’s a stupid idea?” she asked, blushing in embarrassment, like she felt ashamed to accuse him of it. “I mean, you think I should do it?”

“Absolutely! Changing my name was one of the best things I’ve ever done, I’d never think it’s stupid,” he told her, laughing at her expression. He supposed now was as good a moment as any to find out, though he hadn’t ever felt like it was a big deal in the first place. “Come on, I’m going to show you something.” He practically jumped up from his bed, dragging his younger sister with him and out of his room. Once they arrived in front of their parents’ bedroom, she hesitated, faintly tensing up again. (There was still a way to go until things would seem normal, but Danny could wait. This was fine.) “Don’t worry,” he said, lifting his eyebrows and grinning in a conspirational way. “I’m really a ghost, they won’t even see me.”

“You’re such a nerd.” Rolling her eyes, she finally followed him into the plain, but warm-looking bedroom. She just watched as Danny walked all the way around the double bed and crouched in front of the large (but medium sized next to their dad) closet, opening the left door and shifting through the contents in search of something. “You didn’t want to show me their clothing, right-”

Danny, who had partially vanished inside the closet while reaching for something that was located further in the back, interrupted her. “Oh, shush, I’m trying to come out of the closet here.”

“Yeah, let me tell you, it’s actually a little painful to watch.” Though there were still hints of awkwardness and stress in her voice, Danny was happy to note that she seemed to be much more relaxed. His muffled exclamations of having found what he’d been looking for only elicited a bemused snort from the younger Fenton. “This might be difficult for you to hear, but you could have just used your intangibility to get right to it, you know,” she reminded him, slowly, but surely easing back into her cocky demeanor. (Finally. Although he usually wouldn’t admit that he liked it.)

“There we go,” he announced, straightening up, a cardboard box under one arm, closing the door with his free hand. “Let’s go back to my room for these.” This time his sister was quick to lead the way back, curiosity guiding her steps.

“What’s in the box, though?” She leaned over once they were sitting on the ground in front of Danny’s bed. (There used to be a carpet there. It had been a real challenge explaining to his parents why it had disappeared. Things had been complicated in different ways back then.) “Oh, wow, you’re such a cliché, you know that?”

Lifting a thick brown photo album from the box, Danny jokingly stuck out his tongue. “And what does a little girl like you know about clichés?”

“I’m all-knowing, so there you go,” she countered, sticking her tongue out as well. (Had Jazz been with them, she would’ve called them out on it.)

Danny laughed and nearly grimaced when he realized how strained he sounded, almost as though they’d switched roles. Reminding himself that his sister was going to appreciate this and that it was time she found out, he was ready, Danny sighed. “Well,” he started, smiling a real smile. “Um, so, I might have been serious when I said changing my name was one of the best things I’ve done.”

He was now looking at her calmly, expectedly. Her eyes were starting to narrow, confusion making its way onto her face. “I’m going to be honest, I thought you were just talking about… ghost stuff.” She paused, searching for something on his face. “...you weren’t.” Shaking her head briefly, his sister let out a breath. “Okay, now you have to explain.”

“And this is where the cliché photo album moment comes into play,” he said proudly, swallowing any nervous feelings, or at least pretending to. (This day was going to be remembered well by the both of them, he felt.) “These ones we usually don’t show around anymore, which is why they were in the closet. Kind of ironic, to be honest.” He had opened the album, skipping over the first few meaningless pages that were either empty or filled with useless notes, a bit of over-emotional text his mom had written in an exaggerated cursive that he’d rarely seen her use at all. Presently, they were looking at an old family picture, his sister was grinning from ear to ear, holding a baby in her arms while Jack and Maddie were standing slightly behind them, both looking at Jazz and the baby instead of the camera.

“Oh my god, is that baby-you? Oh my god.” His younger sister was trying to get a closer look, but Danny turned a few more pages until he found what he was looking for. It was a photo of him and his older sister peeking out of the play-house that used to stand in their backyard. Both siblings seemed to be laughing at whoever had been holding the camera. “I hadn’t known you had one of those,” his sister said and this time he let her grab the album, peering at it more closely. “Wait, is that one you?” Danny waited patiently. “You’re… you’re wearing matching dresses.” She looked up at him.

“Yeah,” was all he replied.

Her eyes wandered back to her lap, on which the album was resting. Mutely, she turned another page and another, face unreadable. She stopped at a picture of Danny around eleven years old, arms wrapped around an also younger Tucker and Sam, half-doubled over and laughing. His hair was longer, tied back in a low ponytail. “You look just like me.”

“Yeah,” he said again, not knowing what else to say and also not knowing how much his sister understood about this.

“You look like… like a girl,” she observed, looking at him again. He nodded. “But you’re a boy.”

“I’m a boy,” he confirmed, a warm feeling growing in his chest as he realized it hadn’t been a question, but a statement.

“You changed your name to Danny because you had a girl’s name before?”

Danny couldn’t help the relieved chuckle that escaped him. “Yeah, pretty much.” He watched his sister nod in understanding, glance back at the page and back at him. Suddenly she hugged him and Danny once again realized he had been even more nervous about this than he’d thought. A tension he hadn’t been aware of melted away as he hugged her back.

They let go, quietly leafing through the various stages of the Fenton family’s life. There was a short period where even Danny himself could see the awkwardness and unhappiness that was, in retrospect, actually quite obvious and luckily vanished soon enough, after he’d come out to his family and started transitioning. His sister was happily pointing out funny details in the photographs and laughing at things that had seemed almost invisible to Danny the last few times he had seen them, having focused too much on what he hadn’t liked. “How did you, uh,” his sister hesitated, seemingly unsure whether the subject was one to breach or not. Apparently, despite not having been informed about the subject, she had an amazing feel for what was okay and what wasn’t. “You don’t have to talk about it, of course, but I just wondered… How did you come up with, you know, your new name?” She rubbed the back of her neck, then stopped once she realized what she was doing. “I mean, I know I said I want to change my name, but I haven’t exactly decided on anything yet, so… How did you do it?”

Danny hummed, brows creasing a little as he thought about the question. “Well, I didn’t do it all on my own. Mom and dad helped, so did Jazz. Sam and Tuck always tried to come up with more and more ideas, too. In the end I went with a name that didn’t feel too far off, something I could connect to. The others were really supportive, but it was all my decision.”

His sister snorted. “That’s not as helpful as I’d hoped.”

Now it was Danny’s turn to rub the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. “Sorry, I don’t really know what to tell you, though. Maybe you could check some lists of names? If you’d like I can try to think of something, too, but…”

“Yeah,” she agreed. This was about her being independent from her older brother, after all. “I think I’m just going to give it a try on my own for now, then. Thanks, Danny. You’re the best big brother.”

Danny smiled, proud, but mostly glad he did get the chance to be an older brother.

* * *

As far as Danny was aware, the youngest Fenton hadn’t told anyone of her plans but him, even a whole two weeks later. She also hadn’t talked about it any further with Danny, though he now realized that might have been on account of the fact that they had barely had the chance to speak. The few occasions where they had been in the same room without anyone else able to listen in had been too short and fleeting. (Danny knew exactly how difficult it could be to find the right moment to say even the most meaningless things.) Right now, however, they were finally spending some time together, just the two of them. It was early December by now and Danny had been doing his very best to bury his usual Christmas-grudge in favour of showing his new sister that it could be a pretty great time. (This only worked because the rest of his family had had the same idea.) They had been playing a video game in her room when she’d suddenly announced it.

“I think I’ve found a name.”

And now there was that and Danny was supposed to react. He blinked at her, mind still halfway stuck on the game, before he could inwardly pinch himself. “That- that’s awesome! I’m so happy for you!” He was grinning like an idiot, for some reason. This was a big moment and he was witnessing it from the opposite side this time. (It felt confident, but shaky. This wasn’t his moment.)

She might have been blushing, but he couldn’t quite tell. Their controllers were already forgotten, game paused. “So… do you wanna hear it?”

Danny stared at her with wide eyes. “Do I- Are you kidding? Of course I do!” A laugh escaped him automatically. “What kind of question is that?”

Now she definitely did blush. Nervously pulling at her ponytail, she breathed in and out once, then said, “Well, I thought about what you said, about finding a name that wasn’t too far off.” She was picking at everything she could find, the cable of her controller, her sweater, a loose thread on her jeans, seemingly more nervous than during their last conversation. “What do you say, do I look like an Ellie to you?” Danny was still, a feeling he wasn’t sure he could place manifesting inside his gut. His breathing felt a little funny, in a good way. It was as though the world had been tilted a tiny bit, only it hadn’t been quite upright before and now it was. “Danny?” He was shaking with silent laughter (though there might have been something else, too), vision slightly blurry as he pulled his sister into a tight embrace. “D-Danny? Are you okay?” He just kept holding her, might have been crying into her shoulder. There were feelings he hadn’t known had been there, feelings he couldn’t name or describe or explain. What he did know was that he felt relieved. “You’re crying,” she said, softly, holding him as long as it took for him to calm down. “Why?”

He gathered himself, shaking his head as he pulled out of the hug, wiping his face. “It’s perfect,” he said, grinning weakly, feeling embarrassed.

Ellie didn’t seem convinced, but the corners of her lips lifted tentatively. “You think so?”

He laughed happily and hugged her again, not as long. “It’s perfect!” he exclaimed, loudly and heartily. “Ellie, you’re perfect!”

And it did feel perfect and Ellie felt perfect and Danny felt whole and this wasn’t his moment, it wasn’t about him, but it made him feel perfect, too.

* * *

Christmas morning felt sluggish to Danny, like he was walking through mist, ears stuffed, vision blurred and everything feeling a little numb. Maybe he was secretly anticipating the day to be just like the previous ones. Or maybe he was just tired from two all-nighters in a row followed by last night, where he had been occupied finishing up some presents that had still needed to be wrapped and placed under the tree. If he was any good at it, he probably wouldn’t have had to re-wrap half of them about three times. In the end, it had been worth it, though, as they looked quite clean and could nearly pass as someone else’s presents. (Not his dad’s, whose wrapping skills were easy enough to exceed.)

He didn’t bother to get properly dressed, instead opting for pulling an oversized red sweatshirt over, deciding the red would have to do for Christmas, since he didn’t actually own any real Christmas sweaters. Shuffling through the hallway, he heard muffled singing from downstairs. Unsure what to make of it, he slowly made his way downstairs and peeked into the kitchen. There were Jazz and his dad, teaching Ellie their favourite Christmas songs. (Danny hadn’t ever seen Jazz this enthusiastic when it came to either Christmas or singing.)

Ellie noticed him first, glowing with enthusiasm as she waved to him, hands stuffed into oversized kitchen mitts. “Danny! Merry Christmas!”

“Careful with the baking sheet, it’s going to be hot- Hey, Danny, come help your sisters and I finish these cookies! Also put on some socks!”

Instead of answering, Danny smiled at his dad and came over to hug his sisters each. “I didn’t know you could sing this well,” he told his older sibling, who grumbled at him. “I’m serious! You should do it more often, it sound really good. And the cookies smell amazing.” Danny tried to convey how amazed he was at the feeling this Christmas gave him with with that one comment, though he doubted he ever could.

“Right you are! You still have to put on some socks, son!”

This time it was Danny who was left grumbling, though he did admit his feet could use some socks. (They weren’t cold, but fluffy socks still felt nice.) He stopped in the doorway, turning back to his family members. “Hey, where’s mom?”

Jazz shrugged, busy helping Ellie who was maneuvering cookies onto an already full plate and stacking them up to dangerous heights. So, his dad answered, “I let her sleep in! Though if you’re going upstairs for socks you could go get her! There’s presents waiting to be opened and I can’t wait!”

“Sure thing, dad,” he promised, already on his way back to his room to find the one pair of Christmas socks that he did own. (It was a present from some Secret Santa event at school that he had been forced to participate in.) In no time he was dressed – wore socks – and had found a nice and comfortable seat on the couch with his mom, while Jazz and Ellie were sitting on the ground in front of the tree, waiting for his dad to bring them each a big mug of hot chocolate.

Once they were all together and had settled down with their drink, it was time for presents. “Now, as is the Fenton family tradition, the youngest member of the family gets to open the first present,” explained Danny’s mom. “This year,” she smiled at Ellie and reached out to lightly touch her shoulder. “That’s you. Go ahead, dear.”

Danny thought Ellie looked a little too stressed considering she was about to open a present, but he supposed if everything was new and you were being made the center of attention it was fair to feel a little pressure. If he had never received a Christmas present before, he might worry what the proper way to react to one was, too. Ellie shyly glanced at the pile of wrapped gifts underneath the brightly lit tree. “Um,” She fumbled with the sweater she was wearing – one of Jazz’s old, plain grey ones that she had taken a particular liking to. “Which one should I open then?”

Eyes lighting up, Danny leaned froward a bit. “Oh, do mine first!” Seeing his younger sister’s searching look, he added, “The one in blue, right there to the left- no, no, the other one. Yeah, that’s it!”

They watched as the youngest Fenton gently picked up the blue bundle, the form shifting in her grasp and clearly indicating fabric or a similar material to be inside. She inspected it first, not yet opening the package, when suddenly she stilled, eyes resting on the wrapped gift. “What’s wrong?” Jazz asked, sharing a concerned look with her mother. “Did you pick up the wrong one, after-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Ellie had placed the present on the ground next to her and thrown herself around Danny in a bone-crushing hug that could rival Jack Fenton himself. Danny laughed and hugged her back after a short moment of rightening himself from the impact. “You haven’t even opened it,” he complained jokingly, still hugging his sister close, since she hadn’t shown any signs of loosening her grip.

“Thank you,” she whispered about twenty times, seemingly hugging him more tightly with each time the words left her lips. Eventually, she let go and quickly wiped away the subtle trace of tears. “Sorry, uh...” Awkwardly, she moved to pick up the present again, but their dad was faster and grabbed it to hand it to her, pausing when he saw who it had been addressed to.

Ellie shot Danny a helpless look and he nodded in understanding. “Mom, dad, Jazz, there’s something you should know.” He was smiling gently as he said this. His dad was still holding the package, though he’d lowered it onto his lap. “This is going to sound a little funny to you guys, but I’m going to introduce someone to you for a second time.” Danny grinned when his younger sister involuntarily giggled at this. “This,” he said, pulling her close to his side again, one arm around her shoulders and looking prouder than ever. “Is my sister and her name is Ellie.”

“You mean-?” When he nodded in response to Jazz’s unfinished question, the redhead laughed and joined her siblings’ hug. “That’s awesome, I love you, Ellie!”

His parents, however, appeared shocked, which amused Danny, but made Ellie feel as unsure as she had felt before she had even told her brother. “Are you… are you upset?”

The question nearly broke Danny’s heart, but he didn’t need to worry as his parents were quick to reassure their youngest. “No! No, of course not,” their mom said. “We support your decision, that’s out of the question. It’s just-”

“Well,” his dad picked up. “You see, we were just a little surprised that you chose this name of all names.”

Brows furrowed, Ellie’s glance moved from her parents to her siblings, who were both wearing matching expressions of amusement and reassurance. “Did Danny tell you-”

“That he changed his name? He did,” She smiled at him, not a hint that anything about her opinion of him had changed at all. “Why?”

Their parents shared a look, all of them now slightly amused, but trying to mask it as to not make Ellie uncomfortable. “Did he tell you what his birthname was?” asked their dad. At a small shake of her head as well as an affirming nod form his son, he continued, “Now it’s very considerate of you not to ask about it, most people who change their name don’t like to be reminded of their old one. But I’m sure Danny doesn’t mind you knowing that the name we had originally given him was, well, the very same one you happened to choose for yourself.”

Ellie gaped at their parents, then turned her shocked expression to her brother. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s true,” he said, though his smile soon disappeared when he realized his younger sister’s complexion had turned slightly paler than usual and her face seemed oddly tense. She swallowed as though she had forced a decision on herself.

“I guess,” she hesitated, like the words were difficult to get past her lips. “I mean, I guess I can just find another one-”

This time it was Danny’s turn to gape at her. “No way!”

She shrugged guiltily. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable and I wanted a new name because Dani is your name and-”

Once again Danny interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “Hey, no, listen to me. You are not making me uncomfortable. Got it?” His sister opened her mouth to argue her case, but he kept talking. “And ‘Ellie’ is and was never my name,” he assured her. “It’s yours and was always supposed to be yours.” He cracked a grin. “It’s fate.”

She laughed, relief flooding her, and if he saw tears welling up right before she buried her grinning face in his chest as she hugged him, again, he didn’t bother to mention it. The rest of their family was quick to join them. “I think someone does still need to open her present,” his mom reminded when she pulled away. Her eyes sparkled (with tears or simply with happiness, he wasn’t sure about it, either,) as she picked up the discarded package and held it out for her youngest daughter. “Go on and open it, Ellie,” she urged gently, the use of her new name making Ellie glow with happiness.

She accepted the present and tore through the paper, her impatience and curiosity reminding Danny of himself. (They did have a lot of similarities.) Soon she had a t-shirt in her hands, folding it apart and holding it at an arm’s length to get a better look at it. It was black with green lettering that looked as though it was dripping, a little like the green goop that their dad liked to accidentally cover the entire house with. The letters formed the word ‘Original’. Danny had seen it by chance and hadn’t been able to resist getting it for his sister. “I hope it fits,” he said, the unsaid question of whether she liked it was implied by his uncertain tone.

Instead of answering verbally, Ellie sprang up and pulled the shirt over, finding that it was a tiny bit baggy, but a good enough fit. “I love it! Thank you so much!”

Danny was glad she liked the gift and even more glad that the rest of the holiday turned out to be much better than he would have expected. They exchanged more presents and watched Jazz’s favourite Christmas movie together before having lunch. The entire day his parents didn’t mention their usual Santa-themed dispute even once and for the first time since he could remember, Danny thought he understood what everyone loved so much about Christmas. It felt perfect, almost too perfect. (But they deserved a little ‘too perfect’ for once, right?) Right.

He didn’t know if it would remain this way, if next year their Christmas would be as perfect as this year. Heck, with his luck he couldn’t even be sure if he’d be around for it, though he knew if his friends or family ever heard him say that they would scold him for even daring to thing the thought. And it was true, he had more support than ever, but right now it wasn’t the time to think about the support he received from everyone. Today, he would make sure his loved ones knew he would always be there to support them. He may not be perfect, but he tried and that’s what counted.


End file.
